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The marque named for the Dodge Brothers is celebrating its centennial, one of the few American automotive brands that have managed to reach that milestone. To mark the occasion, the spring version of the Charlotte Autofair is paying tribute to this Fiat Chrysler (FCA) brand, one that has outlasted Oldsmobile, Mercury and Plymouth, to name just a few.

Indeed, Dodge has survived many changes through the years, following its earlier absorption by Chrysler and the later separation of its Ram truck line from the brand. Dodge even lost its halo product, Viper, for a season to SRT, but has since won it back as part of an FCA transformation to make it a true performance brand.

The Dodge Centennial

The Charlotte Autofair opens today and runs through Sunday, a four-day extravaganza located at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. To commemorate Dodge, the show’s organizers are featuring more than a dozen historic and iconic models in its Nationwide Showcase Pavilion.

Among those models are a 1923 Dodge/Graham truck, a 1951 Power Wagon, a 1996 Viper and perhaps one of the most recognizable models of all time — a 1969 “General Lee” Dodge Charger from the “Dukes of Hazzard” television series.

The Dodge brothers — John Francis (b. 1864) and Horace Elgin (b. 1868) — parlayed a sibling bond and rivalry to eventually build cars. The Dodges gained a flair for all things mechanical by working at their father’s machine shop, before going on to take a stake in a bicycle business.

From Oldsmobile to Ford

It was in 1902 when Ransom Eli Olds hired the brothers to work for his Oldsmobile company, founded five years earlier and later purchased by GM before the brand was retired in 2003. While with Olds, the brothers produced engines and transmissions for Oldsmobile, before leaving for the upstart Ford Motor Company. That move to a competitor required the brothers to eschew their own business endeavor and invest $75,000 in the Ford initiative in exchange for a 10 percent stake in the company. The gamble paid off as the Dodges soon became the wealthiest men in America.

A decade of working with Henry Ford gave the brothers the experience, wealth and confidence they needed to launch their own enterprise. And they did just that in 1914 when their contract with Ford expired. That venture gave the brothers the opportunity to apply certain improvements to their own vehicles ignored by Ford, opting for a higher-priced model and moving away from the “cheaper is better” philosophy initially embraced by Ford.

From Dodge to Chrysler

New and classic Challengers at a Cars & Coffee Raleigh event.The first Dodge model cost $785 and was powered by a 35-horsepower, four-cylinder engine. That model was initially produced in Nov. 1914 and in its first full year of business, 1915, the Dodge brand quickly assumed the third spot in US sales.

Both brothers died in 1920 and eight years later their widows sold the enterprise to Walter Chrysler, profiting handsomely too. Since then, Dodge’s place in the market has grown, shrunk and has gone through multiple transformations, with newer models such as the compact Dart sedan joining the Viper super car, Challenger sports coupe and the Charger sports sedan.

Charlotte Autofair Happenings

The Dodge exhibit will not be the only thing happening at the Charlotte Autofair over the next few days. For one, the usual “car corral” will be in place, with hundreds of mostly classic cars ringing the oval for visitor inspection and purchase. Then there are the thousands of vendors scattered throughout the infield and beyond — sift through a pile of old license plates, find a rusty DeSoto Firedome bumper or haggle with a seller over a gear stick for that Javelin you are rebuilding.

The Charlotte AutoFair also feature cars from Ray Evernham’s “AmeriCarna” television show, a DeLorean “Back to the Future” display, a 2016 Shelby GT350R, and a personal vehicle display from NASCAR stars. AutoFair will also host 50 car club displays and Dealer Auctions Inc. will be on hand with as many as 200 cars up for auction.

And if cars are not your “be all and end all” there is something for everyone at the Charlotte Autofair. As always, the show will have a Play Zone for children, with the requisite bounce houses, face painting and other child-friendly games available.

This writer plans on being on hand on Friday and Saturday, and will share with you via Twitter and Facebook the many highlights.

It may not be known as the “greatest show on earth” but the Charlotte AutoFair has its own notoriety amongst automotive enthusiasts. This week, from Thursday through Sunday (Sept. 18-21, 2014), the latest edition of the semiannual AutoFair gets under way. For more than three decades AutoFair has been drawing people from the Carolinas and well beyond, an extravaganza that mixes the familiar with the new, as well as the eccentric.

This week: AutoFair gets underway at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Fall 2014 Charlotte AutoFair

Held on the grounds of the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, the Charlotte AutoFair is marked by new car auctions, private sales, an infield brimming with vendors and special displays, and much more. This week, AutoFair will recognize the 50th anniversary of the Pontiac GTO, America’s first muscle car.

Also presented is an exotic performance vehicle display featuring the rarest and fastest automobiles ever made, including a 2015 Lamborghini Huracán, a 2014 Lamborghini Aventador, a 1931 Bugatti, a 1995 Mercedes Lotec, a 2015 Aston Martin Vantage, a 2008 Porsche GT3 RS and other models. Other events include: a DockDogs canine aquatics diving contest and Terracross UTV racing, each providing something for the entire family.

Terracross racing events will be held on Friday and Saturday.

Terracross Racing

One of the fastest growing forms of racing in the country, the Mystik Lubricants Terracross Championship UTV racing series will be at the Charlotte AutoFair on Friday and Saturday. Terracross is raced on a short, rugged, purpose-built course made for the toughest off-road enthusiast. Multiple disciplines go head-to-head against the roughest and muddiest terrain with extreme track features, including crossover jumps.

Terracross racing will be conducted on the fifth-mile track located behind the backstretch of the 1.5-mile speedway. Opening ceremonies start at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, followed by practice/seeding and qualifying throughout the day. Two rounds of finals will take place on Saturday, with opening ceremonies at 11 a.m. and racing immediately following.

Dealer Auction and a Car Corral

This fall’s classic car auction is brought to the Charlotte AutoFair by Dealer Auctions Inc. As is always the practice, dozens of classic cars will be brought to the Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday and Saturday. Key models up for auction include: a 2009 Shelby GT500KR previously owned by the late Carroll Shelby; a 1969 Camaro Prototype COPO seized by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Department; a 1970 Boss Mustang 302; and a 1987 Porsche 911 Cabriolet and more.

You can also view as many as 1,500 classic cars on sale in the car corral ringing the speedway. Private sellers are on hand to hawk their vehicles with deals completed right on site. To assist sellers and buyers, the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles maintains an on-site office to process the paperwork throughout the event.

As many as 50 car clubs are on hand for the fall AutoFair, representing one of the largest assembly of clubs anywhere. Harrisburg Cruisers, the 5th Generation Camaros, Queen City Corvettes, Charlotte Motorists, Southeastern GM Toyz and East Coast Cruisers are just a few of the car clubs represented.

Best of the Rest

Families with young kids in tow need not worry about their little ones getting bored. The Charlotte AutoFair provides a play zone located adjacent to the Nationwide Insurance Pavilion featuring inflatables, face painting, the Patriot slide, a carousel moon bounce and carnival games. A petting zoo, pony rides and interactive games are held in the Fan Van. The play zone does not open until Friday and remains accessible until late each afternoon on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Attendees can also take in one of the world’s largest flea market, as 7,000 vendor spaces are filled with automotive parts and memorabilia. Located inside and outside the speedway, you may uncover a rare treasure amongst the many goods featured. Check out the manufacturer’s midway too as distributors and manufacturers of aftermarket parts and accessories are also on hand.

AutoFair tickets run $10 for adults and are free for children 13 and under. You can also secure a 4-day pass for $30. The Charlotte AutoFair will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.